Where the Light and Darkness Reside
by xfirexfalconx
Summary: Naraku was destroyed...or so the InuTachi thought. Kanna has brought him back to life, and now they are set to get revenge. Can they get past their inner demons in order to reclaim power and bring InuYasha to his knees? Rated M, just in case. XD REVIEW!
1. Prelude

A/N: This fanfiction is based directly from RP sessions between me, and the talented man who took up the role of Naraku. :P Thus, we did not create the characters, only the situations, so don't bother trying to sue. o.o I give half of all credit to my lovely partner, and more if he'd let me. XD Couldn't have done this without you! Especially this, since you write ninty-percent of it. v.v -Sigh.- Anyhow. Hope you enjoy this as much as I have. ;D

* * *

"And now, you fools, you shall see the power of the complete Shikon Jewel!"

Naraku took Kohaku by the throat then, and plucked the final shard of the Jewel of Four Souls from his neck. His body fell limp in Naraku's hand, and he casually tossed the child's body to the feet of his sister. She sank to her knees and pulled Kohaku close to her, rocking as she cried over his body. Naraku then added the final piece to what he had accumulated and showed them the completed Jewel. It glowed with an eerie light, and then was gone as it was absorbed into Naraku. Inuyasha remained unconscience on the floor, the Tetsusaiga lying beside him in its broken state. Kagome and Shippou were also out, from exhaustion and blood loss, most likely. Even Sango had become a wreck, cradling her brother and crying uncontrollably. Miroku knew what needed to be done... and he was prepared to do it.

Miroku took his stance, saying a silent prayer for the others and a final farewell to Sango in his heart... and he opened his Wind Tunnel.

That had been two months ago. Thanks to Kagome's purifying powers and medicines, Miroku had finally broken the fever caused by the saimyosho the had absorbed into himself, and gratefully it appeared as though absorbing the Jewel itself had either no lasting effect or none compared to the poison. What had been Naraku was gone; yet the wind tunnel in his hand had remained. Of all of his incarnations that they had met, only Kanna and Byakuya have yet to be defeated. As they were a part of Naraku, it had been accepted that as long as they remained alive, the wind tunnel would continue to curse the young priest. Even Kohaku had pulled through; while the Jewel fragment had originally been used to reanimate his nearly lifeless body, it had also given him the time he needed to regain what had been lost. His life had become his own once more. Meanwhile, Kagome has continued her trips into the past while being enrolled into home schooling back in her time. All and all, the last couple of months have been spent recooperating from the defeat of Naraku, and planning for what should be done by his incarnations.

Koga has opted to continue his search for Naraku's final incarnations, though without his Jewel shards he's forced to rely on his natural speed and strength now, while Hakkaku and Ginta were sent back to lead the tribe in his place until his return. Ayame has been rumored to be seeking Koga again after hearing that his hunt for Naraku should have been at an end. Kikyou and her two shikigami are also rumored to be on the hunt for the incarnations, though as many rumors have put them at this or that village taking care of its occupants. Sesshoumaru and his band have returned to their nomadic ways, content for the time being with the states of affairs. Byakuya has taken on the acceptance of freedom well, though no one knows what has become of him.

And Kanna... there are no rumors of her location. None have seen her, or at least none who remain alive. The only thing living, human or demon, who has seen Kanna in these last two months is the half-demon whose body she's been putting back together one demon at a time...

- - - - -

Fast foreward.

It's two months later, and Naraku is back in action. Thanks in part to Kanna, who had used the power of her mirror to age herself and become stronger, the hanyou is very much alive and plotting revenge. However, suspicion is running high between the deadly duo...how has Kanna acquired so much power? How come he has never seen her use her mirror? In fact...is 'Kanna' even Kanna?

It is this suspicion that begins our story, deep in the heart of an hidden cavern where Kanna has hid them both in the time since the Inu-Tachi's assault. Her powers now tenfold of what they had been, Kanna only has one last feat of magic to use before Naraku's body would be completed and restored. However, only time will tell if her servitude will be her downfall...


	2. The Last Spell

A/N: Story starts off in a cavern. o.o Once again...this is based off RPing sessions. Thus, the characters do not belong to me or the other RPer (whom I adore for the idea of this fic n.n). Credit to all the right places. Review, or no story! Kanna likes teh feeedback. -Heart.-

* * *

The cave was oddly quiet as the young girl leaned over Naraku's form, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Only one spell left...one more, and she would be done. Things would be back to normal...well, as normal as things ever were. In the dim lighting, provided by stolen souls placed randomly throughout the cavern and forced to glow, she sighed and bushed a lock of ivory hair from her face.

"Now, listen," Kanna said firmly, a quiet authority washing over her as she placed a hand upon his left arm. "You are going to lay down, and you are going to stay down, until your body has had more time to restore itself."

Focusing, she drew a symbol on his hand, the lines shimmering with a pale, green light. She kept a small thread of power connected to it, holding her concentration as she reached upwards and drew the same symbol at the base of his neck. She shifted the threads of power to both symbols, connecting them as she switched and did the same to his right side, forming a grid of energy across his chest. Kanna looked up, mentally etching a symbol onto the shield, and it flickered blue as the collected souls began to glow brighter.

"The reason I say this," she continued, placing her hand lightly in the middle of his chest, where the lines of power all met into a nexus, "is because this magic, zen'yu, will deplete most...if not all...of my energy."

The same green light of the symbols began to flow from her solar plexus, wrapping around her like emerald mist as it travelled to her arm and down into her hands, flowing through the power lines and outwards to the symbols.

Kanna watched, pushing the power forth until the power lines seemed to overflow, spreading out until they formed a pure sheild of green light across him. This would leave her tired, she knew...she could already feel her strength waning. _But I can't...I can't leave him like this. Even if I couldn't sense his pain, I wouldn't be able to just let him suffer. I've grown weak...again, maybe more than I was before. Why couldn't I be like Kagura, and just not care? _

But Kagura was dead. Kanna wasn't. _Perhaps, ironically, this weakness...is not a weakness? I'll have to look into this..._

Returning her mind back to the task at hand, she took a breath as a small, supernatural breeze ruffled her hair. The energy had reached it's peak, and all she had to do was say the proper words...but a sudden barrier blocked her way, in her mind and her powers.

Kanna frowned; she knew that this magic, though it would indeed heal his injuries without a doubt, would be intensely painful. And, at first, slow. Like an arrow, it needed momentum to work faster, which could take over five minutes. Not only would it hurt like the hells, it would also look like nothing was happening besides that...

"Naraku...do you trust me?" she asked suddenly, concerned not only for his wellbeing, but hers. What if he thought she was a traitor...? He could think that, and she was the danger in this magic now. _I need to know...before I continue, I have to know if I have his trust._

Strange how such a small question could freeze her blood.

Naraku watched silently as Kanna did her work, his knowledge in these forms of power practically nonexistent. He was a demon of duplicity; his very nature was to take, to deceive, and to betray. The notion of giving anything except for the sake of furthering his own power... no, this was well beyond his grasp. She drew her symbols with care and diligence, shaping and attaching them to one another with a quiet determination he himself had only demanded of himself a handful of times. While he knew nothing of the energy and will that went into her symbols, he knew the signs of heavy fatigue coming when he saw it. Still, he only watched.

_"Naraku... do you trust me?" _

He considered momentarily what this could mean. Did he trust her with what? She had remained loyal to him even in his defeat, and restored his body and mind. At this point it was no longer a matter of trust, but a matter of acceptance. What would she possibly gain personally from his continued survival?

Power?

Perhaps. He was certain by now that she had acquired a part of herself that he had kept. He wasn't certain how much she had taken back... and for that matter, where had this new art of hers come from? There was still much he didn't understand about what had happened in the last two months. His only contact had been through her... what was going on in the outside world? His mind raced, rushing through everything he had been told. Two months... destroyed... Kanna... was this girl truly Kanna? How had it not hit him sooner? The Fyōheki stone still hung above his head, concealing the demonic energy within the room. Of course he couldn't sense this Kanna... he couldn't sense anything!

But the mirror? Yes, that was the mirror that he had used to create Kanna all that time ago. Yet... when had he seen her use it? He struggled with his memories of his time awake, trying to see a single time he had seen the mirror respond to her... something, anything... and nothing. He had absolutely no reason to believe this demon was Kanna beyond her word, and her word was suddenly feeling very, very weak.

Could it have been the wards? He could see the possibility; his mind was weak, and his emotions were laid clean out. It would have been easy for her to manipulate what he thought and felt had she so felt the need. It was even possible that night she had taken ill had been a ruse, a facade to draw him closer to her. He was Puppet Master! He was the Lord of the Castle that made those around him dance to his every command. How dare she...

Yet it was all grasping at straws. While his mind was able to piece together possible signs of her trickery, it still could not form any true proof. He felt as though she was Kanna, but he couldn't be certain that it wasn't a trap. Everything he felt he knew had collapsed, and he was left with a simple decision. There was a right answer, but at this moment he could not see it. And if he chose wrong... then soon it wouldn't matter. Still, a decision must be made...

"Yes. I do."

_But do you really, though...?_ The look of doubt in his eyes made her wonder, and Kanna almost regretted asking. But she needed to know, and now that she did, it was one more thing she'd work on...all she could do now was prove herself. _I hope...in time...I can earn his faith. Otherwise, this is going to be a very long, tedious existence.  
_  
"Then...I will begin," she muttered, taking a steadying breath as the air seemed to grow thick with energy, pulsing like a heartbeat. When she spoke again, her voice was clear and soft, yet commanding.

"Caosga, malpirgi, sobam ds ozongon. Iolcam a ialpvrg," she chanted, a language older than Japan itself flowing past her lips. "Othil!'

The energy gave a final, explosive pulse as the words of power were spoken, and her eyes closed as the energy raced into his body. As she controlled the acidic scourge in her mind, she could see it flow through his veins like a jade fire, buring away the injuries with a searing vehemence. Kanna could distantly feel it herself as every nerve was stricken, the potent electricity of the energy at once horrid and awesome. _Hang in there...just a bit longer..._

To her relief, she soon could sense the healing setting in. She could sense the body twisting, shifting and crashing back together...and though she could feel the healing begin, the heat and pain began to skyrocket. Kanna choked slightly, her breathing suddenly cut off as she entered the final stage. Finally, the energy exploded again, rising into an inferno before guttering into smouldering embers.

Kanna gasped for air, the energy vanishing and her throat released from the zen'yu's grip. She collapsed, her body leaning against the cavern wall and her eyes remaining closed.

"It is done," she whispered, remaining still...neither sleeping or awake, she simply lay, and awaited his judgement.


	3. Burn

_A/N: Credit to where it is due. :P Thanks to all the reviewers (-COUGHS-all two of them-COUGHS-lazy people-COUGHS-) I will update regularly, Kags21. :D And Anon... xD You know me. Multi-Tasking Queen. This could take anywhere from a week to a month for me. o.o Anyhow...PLEASE review, people. Don't make me cry. A crying, pretty girl is never a good thing._

_

* * *

_

_By the great... how much pain can one suffer at once...? _

He didn't care to learn. The pain tore through him like a torrential flood of hellfire, its white hot rage swallowing his body and mind one piece at a time. Naraku dove within himself, desperate to outrun the path of the inferno which the girl's power had unleashed within him. His mind's eye followed him through corridor after corridor within his own psyche, delving further into his mind. He could feel his body being torn apart, the ashes that had once been his form being devoured completely and absolutely by the flames. His blood screamed to him in a voice that was every bit feral - the blood curtling scream of an animal being slaughtered alive. Every demon he had ever absorbed could be heard in that chorus of pain, and greatest of those voices had been his own.

And then it was over.

Naraku opened his eyes slowly, expecting the hellfire to erupt from his sockets should he let them. The light which shown through, however, was of the candles which had lit up the cave. He pushed himself up slowly, still not entirely believing that the inferno had been quelled within himself. His arms held his weight, and it took him a moment to realize that his fractures had been mended. His entire body, in fact, felt whole; whatever it was that... that Kanna had attempted, it had apparently succeeded. Though tired from the ordeal, he was whole.

_Speaking of tired, _the demon thought to himself as he looked over at her exhausted body lying against the wall. He watched her for a moment, and caught a sign of her breathing coming under control. _Still alive, at least._ He considered this against what he had thought before the apocalypse that she had let loose in his body. It had burned in ways that he had never considered possible before, but his body was his own again. _I believe I made the right decision._

He stood up slowly, marvelling at how the leg that had, just this morning, given him so much trouble could hold his weight again. He walked slowly toward her body, considering what to do about her as he approached. He reached down for her and, after a final thought, lifted her from the cave floor. She was lighter than she looked, and even in his weakened condition he knew he had the strength to move her. He returned her to the tatami and laid her where she had slept the night before, covering her with makeshift blankets which had remained along the floor. He then laid down on his own side of the tatami and turned away from her, not wishing to look her in the eyes just yet. He wasn't certain that his decision was right, but he felt it had been.

_I miss the days when the most complicated thing I had to deal with was Kikyou_, he mused silently to himself.

- - - - -

_Kanna felt like she was watching herself from above, feeling everything, yet in a way that made it seem more like she was spying on someone through her mirror. She was inside and outside herself, the energy from the zen'yu draining her completely. And yet, it was a calm feeling that came over her, even though she could barely summon the energy it took to breath. She'd done her work, what she had called her duty, and now it was over. _

I can rest now...I can truly rest. 

Even as he picked her up from the floor, she couldn't find the words to speak, to say she was sorry, to tell him how she wished things were the way they had been. Too many thoughts circled inside, until they all swirled together and became one thought: sleep. Kanna was aware of Naraku laying her down, of him at her side. She wished she could open her eyes, to see if her was angered or pleased...or neither.

Rest. Rest.

A small sigh escaped her as her mind began to fade into unconcious. Perhaps when she next woke, all would be well...

- - - - -

It seemed that she had only just let go of that thought, when her eyes opened. Had she simply opened her eyes...? No, that didn't feel right. Time had passed, though she was unsure how much. The souls along the walls had gone darker, which only could have meant that twenty-four hours had passed.

_It couldn't have been that long, could it? I should get up and see..._

However, when she attempted to move, she found her body was heavy as lead. Her breaths were even and her vision was clear, but she couldn't even turn her head, let alone stand up. She was effectively trapped inside herself for the time being.

Kanna looked around as best she could, her sight ending at her perepheral vision. Was she alone? Had she woken only to have been left behind? After all, she had no clue how long she'd been asleep...with the souls unlighted, it could have been one day or seven...

_That's it. This sucks. _

"Naraku?" she called out, relieved that her voice worked. "Are you still here...?"

Kanna had a plan, and by the gods, it was going to work.


	4. Nothing

A/N: ...Might be some questionable material in here. :D If you don't like subjective situations, cover your eyes. Otherwise, buck up and REVIEW. :O

* * *

He had been fashioning puppet dolls, using wood that he had sent the saimyosho to gather for him, for several hours. As his strength returned so did his powers, and now that he was at least subpar it was time to begin work once more. The saimyosho had done their job well, returning from their mission with several tree limbs of suitable size and strength. He had been working diligantly to keep his mind off things, carving the wood into the proper shapes with a knife he found amongst the supplies that Kanna had returned with, when he heard her quiet voice break the air.  
_  
"Naraku...? Are you still here...?" _

He put down the knife and puppet he was working on and pulled himself to his feet. He pushed the two puppet sets he had completed aside with his feet and made his way over to her side. He dropped to one knee beside her, resting his arms upon his leg and gazing down at her. _So she's finally awake? I wonder if she has anything to say for herself now..._

"I'm still here, Kanna. It would hardly do to leave you alone in this condition, and I have plenty to keep me busy right here." He brushed the hair from her eyes, and shifted to a cross-legged sitting position for comfort's sake. "How are you feeling?"

She closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god would listen, then shifted her gaze to him. A faint smile crossed her face as he pushed back a random lock of hair, grateful for even that small favor. His question faded it back into a frown, however, and she pondered her reply for a moment.

"I can't move," she finally admitted, "at all, except for speaking. I...I need my mirror. If I had it..."

Kanna paused, glancing in the direction she'd last seen it. I have enough power so that I can work it, and hopefully get myself back in shape. I can't sit here and wait gods know how many days for my body to help itself. It seemed almost ironic, that not even days before it had been her moving about...

_Don't beg. Don't beg_, her mind moaned, and she shut it out. She was sick of being injured, weak and useless. She was too tired to save dignity; face could always be gained back later. _To hell with looking calm, I need that damned mirror!_

Looking back to him, an almost pleading look came over her. "Could you...I mean...is it possible that you might bring it to me...please? All you'd have to do is put it in my hand, and then I'll be out of your way, I promise."

_Well now, this is what I wanted to see_. He nodded to her question, and returned to his feet. The mirror remained on where he had last put it down the night she took ill, and he bent to pick it up. A line of dust had covered the mirror's surface, and he blew it off. He twisted on his heel and rests on his knees, putting him on Kanna's opposite side. The mirror was placed on her chest, and he placed her hands upon it one at a time. He chuckled a bit once he had finished. "You've never been in my way and you know it, Kanna."

_Now then... if she can use the mirror, then I'll know for certain that it is her and I can put this nonsense behind me once and for all... _

"Do I?" she murmured, unsure of what she knew anymore. Her mind was still foggy, though in moments she planned to end that problem. _This has to work. It WILL work. If it doesn't...well, I'll think about that only if it happens. Which it won't...I know it_.

Her fingertips touched the smooth surface of the mirror, and Kanna closed her eyes to concentrate. _Just this one last thing_, she thought determindly, directing her thoughts to the center of the mirror and waiting.

And waiting, and waiting.

_No...no way. Come on... _

Nothing. It sat in her hands like only so much glass and metal. She wanted to hurl it across the room, to curse every curse she ever knew. But that wouldn't have helped..._My energy is just too low...that has to be it. But what will Naraku think, if I can't even work the mirror? My most basic task, and I can't do it? Oh, but I can pull off flashy magic tricks...Come on, WORK._

Nothing. The mirror remained flat and lifeless, and her heart sank._ I was wrong...I didn't have enough energy to work it...now what am I going to do? It should work, even without that much effort_... Kanna sighed, trying to surpress the panic rising in her eyes.

Naraku watched her carefully as she held the mirror in her hands. _Come now... if you're truly Kanna, this should be no task. _It remained dormant on her chest, despite the apparent focus she had been putting into it. She seemingly gives up after a few tries.

"It's...not working," she said hesitantly. "Things must be worse than I thought...I'm sorry..."

_Not as sorry as you're going to be_, he mused sinisterly to himself, _whoever you are_.

Naraku placed a finger upon her leg below where the kimono ends, and slowly slid his finger up her leg, seperating the kimono as he did so. "Its such a shame to see you this way," he whispered darkly.

His finger continued to slide across her inner thigh, then moving back toward the outside of the leg to spread the kimono open. He lifted his finger only long enough to undo the sash's tie, then continued his finger's questing movement across up her body. "Completely helpless. Practically a victim within yourself..." He allowed a second finger to caress across her stomach, then returned to a single finger as her slid up the middle of her chest. He flipped his folded fingers nonchalantly, tossing to remaining portion of her kimono off to the side of her, exposing now half of her body entirely. "So innocent... and yet..."

His finger stopped at the base of her throat. He pulled his hand away momentarily, only to strike her throat with such ferocity that her entire body shook. He grasped her throat in his hand and squeezed it, enough to hold on but holding back so as to not break her neck. "...And yet it seems as though you aren't who you say you are. The spells, the body, and I didn't see it before?"

At this he flipped the other side of the kimono open, completely exposing her before him. "This is indeed Kanna's mirror, and the only things stopping me from ripping your heart from your chest is that I'm uncertain if you have one, and I still wish to know what has happened to her." He let his free hand's finger trace back down the way he had come up, starting at the base of her throat and moving down to stop at her naval. "I'm sure I can think of a few uses for your flesh, and I believe you can imagine what I'm capable of doing to you."

All this time, he cursed within himself, and it had been a trap afterall. Who was this demon working for? What had they done to Kanna? He openly swore allowed, his anger trying to overwhelm him. _I was left with a single servant, and I will be damned if someone thinks they'll control what I do and what I feel_...

"W-what?" she choked, stunned at his statement, and falling deathly silent as she felt his hands upon her. _What! Not who I say I am...how could he...do this..._

She had no to time to think, to reply; his accusations stabbed into her like a sword, and before she could pull her thoughts into coherancey, he had bared her before him and seized her by the neck. Hatred, anger, betrayl...all these passed through her eyes, but they only one that stayed was terror.

_"...and I still wish to know what has happened to her."_

The light in her eyes slowly blackened, replaced instead by tears of fear and pain. Trying to hold them back, she attempted to speak, but all that came out was a whimper as her last barrier of the soul broke, and her tears flowed freely from the corners of her eyes as she wept miserably.

"I'll tell you what's happened," she finally said, her voice toneless, empty...dead. "You just destroyed her."

Her hand moved the inch it needed, her despair flooding over her as she touched her mirror; the surface glowed brightly as she clutched her oldest weapon...and saving grace.

"And all for nothing," Kanna whispered.

Nearly instantly, her body vanished, reappearing across the room. She stood in the door of the cavern, mirror in hand. She didn't bother to try and cover herself, her eyes lifeless. _What is left to hide, after all?_ The mirror's brilliance intensified as she gazed wordlessly at Naraku, tears continuing to slip down her face. Without speaking she vanished once more, to the mouth of the cave itself.

For a moment, she stood there, looking into the darkness through blurred vision. She trembled from panic, from hatred and shock. _Why are you surprised, Kanna? Did you actually think...honestly believe...it would have been any other way? It was a long time coming. And you played directly into the game. _

Turning her back to the cave, she openly cried, her sobs echoing across the main tunnel and into the growing dusk as she ran towards the trees, disappearing into the woods...the forest, the Earth, and the twilight. Her true home. Alone.

_You always have been alone, Kanna. Always have been, and always will be... _


	5. Hatred

A/N: Remember to review, thanks. Credit to where it's due. :P

* * *

He remained still and quiet as she spoke, his rage building quickly yet silently within him.

_I was wrong?_ He cursed to himself. _How could I have been wrong? She could not do it, she could not! She tried, damn her! Or had this been a test to prove that I was loyal to her?_ He turned this notion over in his mind as she vanished from the cave. Naraku cursed everything that had happened and punched through the tatami into the hard cave floor. _Had that been it, then? She was testing me? What gives her the right to question me?_

He rose to his feet slowly, biting down the inferno of anger and rage that had nearly peaked with him. "So she feels the need to test me, does she... then perhaps she wishes to test my power as well as my loyalty..."

Naraku stood, eyes glowing a fierce crimson. As he walked from the cave, a sword shimmered into his hand, as if bidden there by sheer willpower alone. The blade glowed as he teleported to the cave mouth and headed into the forest, saimyosho at his heels.

_If that is truly you, Kanna, then I will do all that I can to make amends... but if you choose to fight me... well, Kagura could tell you the story._

He chuckled to himself at this, though his anger had not died down entirely. _I'm sorry, she won't tell you anything. She's dead._

- - - - -

Her feet created barely as sound as she ran through the trees, racing from that place as fast as her legs would carry her. It wasn't fast enough for her tastes, though she had no idea of where she was going, and what she would do when she got there...somewhere...

_I'm a fool. A blinded fool. Kagura...everything she said...heh. Whoever thought the wench would be right? Maybe I should have fought. Maybe I should tried to escape. Maybe I should have let him die... _

It was this thought that stopped her instantly, her own breathing harsh in her ears. Could she have prevented this, herself? Was this her own fault, in the end? Kanna held her forehead with her hand, her mind buzzing. But she looked back up as the buzzing grew louder, more consistant...

_Saimyosho. _

Looking into her mirror, she gazed at the images of the insects that followed her...and a sight that chilled her to the bone. Naraku, for certain...heading her way. Surely, he was going to kill her...Kanna frowned, her fear replaced by pure hatred. Lowering the mirror, she turned to face those that chased her, the force of her conviction steeling her with strength.

_Let them come...and let them fall_.

- - - - -

Naraku dashed through the forest, guided by the motions of the poisonous insects. The saimyosho were ablaze with messages, and he quickly discovered she was directly ahead of him. He broke through a thicket, and there she was... staring back at him, determination burning in her eyes. He hadn't expected her to stop... and particularly not so soon. Naraku faced Kanna and held his ground, no where to truly go now.

"Kanna... is that truly you? How am I to be certain you are who you say you are?"

The saimyosho gathered nearby, many smaller clouds gathering together around the two figures. They flittered about from a distance, watching and waiting for their next order.

_There must be something I can do_, Naraku thought to himself. _There must be a way to settle this once and for all. _

She never took her eyes from him, not for a moment. Her arms slowly wrapped around herself, trying her hardest to cover herself, though the move was based more upon instinct than anything else. Once again her insides curled into attack mode, though she realized all too late that her katana was back at the cave.

At his question, she let out a cry of frustration. "Am I the real Kanna?" she asked, halfway between exasperated and mocking. "You have some gall, you know that?"

_No more. NO MORE. After all this time of silence, I will not take it any more. _

Kanna walked right up to him, no longer caring about her safety. "Who would be able to use the mirror? Or did I just not move fast enough for you? Oh yes...I believe I was still paralyzed from a healing charm I used on _you_."

Never did her voice raise beyond that of a low growl, yet her words were filled with every drop of venom she could summon. "Who would have known to use your heart to restore you? Who would have spent two months playing connect the dots with demon bodies to even try? Who would have even bothered? You were DEAD, Naraku! You were gone. They celebrated. No one cared."

Her gaze softened a moment, her hand raising and gently touched the Naraku's face. "Except...I know how to use the mirror. I kept you heart safe. I spent two months trying, and...I cared."

Jerking her hand back to her side, she turned away and walked off a few paces. Kanna stopped, glancing over her shoulder. She was tired, her power still not restored despite the energy of a few souls she'd stored in her mirror...just in case. A world-weary look replaced the hatred, though with it came betrayl and hurt.

"A bit of poetic justice, isn't it...?" she murmured. "Just like your miasma...you kill everything you touch. Why should I be any different?"

With that, she began to leave, saying her final words over her shoulder. "You've got what you wanted, I guess. You don't need me...If I see InuYasha, I won't tell him of you before he kills me. That is...if you even understand...nevermind."

Kanna walked towards the circle of the Saimyosho, the last thing between her and freedom. "Until then...stay away from me, or have your insects and marionette stab me in the back like a worthless traitor. It would be an ironic end, indeed."

He gazed across the field at her, the wind whipping his hair across his face. The emotion was gone, yet the struggle remains etched into his eyes. The moonlight cast the only shadows upon the grass, as all life has vanished from this clearing already; the emotion was gone, but it had been there before. Where fury had been, only a cold, detached demon remained. His blade was sheathed, but it hung to the side as though it would jump into his hand of its free will. The emotion was gone, but the pain remained.

"So this was your intention then? You spare my life, restore my power, and draw me toward you... for this? I'm not sure whether to be hurt by your betrayal or proud; even your sister didn't have the gall to do as you've done. I would applaud your accomplishments if I felt they would come to anything."

The emotion was gone, but the hatred shown brighter than the moon.

_I don't want to feel this way, her soul cried. But what else can I feel? What do I do when I feel so surrounded by trechery? My heart says to flee, yet I cannot. My mind says to fight, yet I cannot. My entire body wishes to hate, for what else can I do but despise him...? When one cannot run nor battle, isn't the only option left to hate...?_

"Now I know what it's like," she said qiuetly, more to herself than anyone, as she thought of Kikyou. "To be left with only your anger and spite. Such is the end result of deciet."

It seemed only too easy to stand and listen as his words battered at her like the ocean crashed against the sand. Maybe, in a time long past, she would have cried out in protest or launched back a chorus of angry retorts. Maybe, in a time long past, she would have pleaded for his understanding, for his forgiveness. And maybe, just maybe, she would have cared enough to assure him of her obediance by taking on a member of the Inu-Tachi for the sake of proving herself. But this was not a long time past; it was a cruel present that would have torn her heart apart, had her heart any feelings left to show. The Kanna of the past was no more.

Raising her gaze from the ground, slowly upwards to meet his, this Kanna glared back with a calculated expression that held no affection, but the utmost disdain. No longer the selfless desire to please, but only the desire to rend him apart as a hawk would slash apart a snake. Her obsidean eyes were as calm as the trees before a storm, reflecting back at him a chilling ruthlessness. This Kanna was ready for war.

"Think what you like, as you always have," she replied smoothly, voice laced with spite. "Pain and pride mean nothing to me. As for my Kagura...she was too weak to stand against you...on her own. I once thought myself the same...but I have learned otherwise."

Kanna laughed quietly, though there was no humor in her tone. Arching an eyebrow, she locked her gaze on him. "Would you like to find out for yourself, master?" she added mockingly. "Or are you scared?"


End file.
